Rachel's organic . . .

. . . pears!

Freshly picked pears from a friend

Midweek Salmon

A small dish of dauphinoise potatoes

Served with baked salmon and baby courgettes

Fruity pudding

Some slightly under-ripe nectarines

So I wrapped them in foil with brandy, sugar and a little butter

They softened and caremalised

Served with double cream

Barbecue in the sun

A rare sunny Saturday, so barbecued lamb chops

Using the kettle barbecue

Served with chargrilled peppers

And homegrown new potatoes

Bountiful produce

The courgettes are coming thick and fast (literally). If I don't check every day I end up with a few that definitely verge on the marrow!

And plenty of salad leaves growing well in the planters

Midweek feast

A pair (brace?) of Guinea fowl for a midweek supper with friends

Roasted with bacon to keep them moist, and served with roasted potatoes and sprouting broccoli

Gooseberry cake

An impromptu gooseberry cake. A basic sponge mixture, topped with some slightly cooked gooseberries

Great with some creme fraiche

Saturday breakfast

Fried potatoes, grilled bacon and tinned tomatoes

Risotto: Day 2

The left over risotto made for another great meal - shaped into small cakes, and fried in olive oil until crisp

Courgette glut

The courgettes are plentiful, so a new recipe - a courgette and herb risotto

About a third of the courgettes were grated and added to the onion to soften, and then cooked with the rice; the rest were fried in olive oil and butter

Once the rice was cooked, the courgettes were stirred through, along with mint, tarragon, parsley, basil, butter and parmesan

Great - a very fresh taste

Quick roast pork

Roast loin of pork in a rosemary crust, with dauphinoise potatoes and cabbage

Sunday evening leftover food

All the leftover food in the house on a Sunday evening made a non-too-healthy but decidedly tasty sausage, potatoe, mushroom, thyme and cheddar fry up

Semi-traditional sunday lunch

A decidedly non-traditional oriental steamed salmon with stir fried courgettes and steamed rice to start

With a much more normal gooseberry crumble to follow

Ice cream sundae

Vanilla ice cream, fresh blueberries, creme de cassis and crushed hazelnuts

More barbecue food

Brischetta with tomatoes and broad beans

Barebcued halloumi, sausages, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes

New potatoes

Amazing restaurant

Been meaning to go for ages, but finally made it to Galvin on Baker street this week

Best new restaurant discovery for some time. The menu was perfect for me - a real struggle to decide what to go for; also the wine list was great - their plentiful 'wine by the glass' section was also available in small or large carafes, which made it easy for two of us to try a few different wines on a weekday!

Steak tartare to start with. Raw chopped fillet, with capers, gherkins, mustard, lemon juice and a raw egg yolk

Landaise chicken with asparagus, spring onions, gnocchi and hazelnuts

Finished with a chocolate fondant with a sharp orange sorbet